On August 17, football fans will witness what they've never seen before - Manchester United walking out for a Premier League match without Sir Alex Ferguson as their manager. The eyes of the footballing world will be focussed on David Moyes, the man hand-picked by Sir Alex, as he attempts to fill the biggest shoes in the business.

The sense of deflation I experienced surprised even this most devoted of Reds fans. That he was retiring was no great shock in itself; the realisation that his exit belied a potentially greater psychological blow to those of us clinging to the disappearing era of one-club man football struck a far deeper chord.

If we've learnt anything since King Kenny's departure from Anfield, it's that the club's fans are, on the whole, slightly detached from reality. That's natural, they were the dominant force in English and arguably European football for a generation.